Sanctions Hampering Battle With Viral Outbreak

Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations said the US sanctions are hindering the country’s efforts to contain the novel coronavirus epidemic.
“People and government of Iran working hard to defeat COVID -19, but US sanctions [are] impeding their efforts,” Majid Takht-Ravanchi said in a post on his Twitter account on Friday after returning to New York from Tehran, Tasnim News Agency reported.
The ambassador also denounced Washington’s political approach to the issue of humanitarian assistance amid the outbreak of coronavirus, saying it is “high time for US to de-politicize this humanitarian endeavor and lift sanctions”.
The Iranian diplomat emphasized that the fight against the coronavirus, which has turned into an international crisis, requires “genuine international efforts”.
A few days ago, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif sent a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, denouncing the US sanctions as a major obstacle to Iran’s fight against the coronavirus and stressing that such unilateral and illegal sanctions should end.